


All I've Ever Known

by i_love_you_to_naboo_and_back



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Music, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben is a director, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), M/M, POV Ben Solo, POV Rey (Star Wars), Rey is a Singer, Slow Burn, Star Wars x Hadestown, alternate universe - broadway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:08:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25560058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_love_you_to_naboo_and_back/pseuds/i_love_you_to_naboo_and_back
Summary: Struggling artist Rey strikes gold when she lands the part of Eurydice in Broadway's up and coming musical: Hadestown. What's more, this new musical is being directed by the renowned Broadway star and director: Ben Solo.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Jessika Pava/Paige Tico, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	All I've Ever Known

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my first ever fanfic but I am so stoked to be finally doing it!  
> For a while I was trying to find an idea that would please the masses but that was so stressful so I decided to write something that I would love to read, and if that interests some of you as well, then that would be the cherry on top!  
> I love Ben and Rey with all my heart and hope to do them justice here :)  
> Love you all!

“Rey! The gentlemen at the bar have been waiting for their bill for the last ten fucking minutes!” Unkar Plutt snarled, jerking his head in the direction of the two men sitting alone at the bar with empty beer bottles. “If you lose a tip from them because of your lazy ass, don’t think I won’t take it out of your pay check!”

Rey’s stress levels were already through the roof - one of her coworkers didn’t bother to show up for his shift so Rey had to work the closing shift at the restaurant by herself - but Plutt threatening to take funds out of her already meager wage was just not something she could deal with. She hurried over to the men and handed them their bill, apologizing profusely for the wait. 

“No worries, sweetheart, it was enough of a treat to see you scurrying around in your little outfit,” one of the two men said, eyeing Rey appreciatively. She swallowed uncomfortably and subconsciously fiddled with the hem of her black skirt, wishing it were longer, and hating that Plutt demanded such a revealing uniform. Rey plastered a smile to her face and forced a flirtatious laugh, knowing that if she were to offend the customer, the likelihood of a tip would be slim to none. 

“Oh you sure know how to make a girl smile, sir! Thanks again for joining us here at _The Sneaky Bandit’s Bar and Grill_ , we hope you’ll be back again soon,” she recited, hoping that the men would just leave her with a tip so she could continue to rush around to her other tables.

“If you’ll be here, then I’ll definitely swing by,” he said, winking. “By the way, I, uh, didn’t have any change on me, but I left you something better than cash for your tip anyways, you can thank me later. See you around, babe.” They slid off their stools and finally made their way out of the bar. Rey exhaled and began clearing their empty glasses, and picked up a napkin with a cell number on it. 

_Amazing. If you can’t even afford to tip your damn server, then you can’t afford to go out! Don’t flatter yourself into thinking that giving me your number makes up for a tip._ Rey sighed and moved on to clearing the nearby booths, the majority of the restaurant finally clearing out. This was a busy evening and she was so ready to collapse on her bed after her shift was over. 

Just as Rey finished mopping the floors, the familiar stench of cigarettes and sweat filled her nose. Unkar Plutt, albeit drunk and lazy, never failed to catch Rey right as she was about to leave. 

“Alright then, how’d we do today, love?” He pushed a hand through his greasy grey hair, “You’ve got a bit of makin’ up to do, considerin’ you didn’t make much last night.”

Rey could feel her hands start to sweat as they always did when Plutt corners her alone. “I did okay, my tips came to around $120...”

“That’s it? Well obviously I’ll have to take that and I’ll just deduct another hundred from your pay check so that we’re even.”

Rey bit back a curse. “Plutt, you know I earned this money, and I work hard for you! Oscar didn’t even come in tonight and I manag-”

Plutt grabbed her waving hand in a tight grip. “You do realize that I allow you to live above _my_ restaurant for only a fraction of the cost, right? You would never be able to afford a place in Manhattan if it weren’t for my generosity! Don’t forget your place, bitch!” He snatched the envelope that contained her shift’s tips and stumbled out the door. 

“You absolute douche!” Rey whispered harshly, wishing she could say it to his face, but she knew there was a lot of truth in his claim. Even if she could manage to keep her tips, she could never afford a different place in New York. Unless a miracle were to occur, Rey couldn’t even imagine a way out of her current situation. But at least she had a roof over her head. And running water, even though it couldn’t seem to heat up. But she’d had it worse, so she’d take what she could get.

***

After passing through the back of the now-dark kitchen, she climbed the stairs that led to her tiny apartment. Her place could have been mistaken for a glorified attic, her bed, mini fridge, toaster oven and toilet all in the same room. But after living there for over a year, she’d finally managed to make it seem like it was her home. Mismatched pots of leafy plants grew in the windowsill, a knitted grey blanket was draped over an armchair and a bookshelf was filled with distressed looking books. Her pride and joy, however, was her keyboard. A few months back she had been wandering around a local thrift store and saw that someone had donated a nearly brand new looking  Casio CGP-700 keyboard. She nearly squealed with delight when she saw it, barely believing her luck. She had skipped half her meals that month to help cover the cost of it. 

Rey changed out of her uniform into some sweatpants and an oversized Metallica t-shirt. After sliding a pizza pocket into her toaster oven, she sat down at the piano. Music had been Rey’s whole life. Even her first memory was of a woman’s voice, soothing her to sleep with a lullaby. “ _There is a castle on a cloud. I like to go there in my sleep. Aren’t any floors for me to sweep, there in my castle on a cloud.”_

That memory was one of the few she had of her parents. Rey shook her head, snapping out of her reverie. She placed her hands on the keys and began playing the accompaniment to a song from one of her favourite musicals, _Wicked._ The familiarity of the music seemed to wash away all of her frustrations from work. She started singing along, her voice echoing off the walls of her apartment and escaping through her open window into the night. 

_I've heard it said_

_That people come into our lives_

_For a reason_

_Bringing something we must learn_

_And we are led to those_

_Who help us most to grow if we let them_

_And we help them in return_

_Well, I don't know if I believe that's true_

_But I know I'm who I am today_

_Because I knew you_

Rey stilled at the piano, her stomach making an unfortunate duet partner with it’s loud grumbling to signal that she needed to eat. As she bit into her too-hot pizza pocket she hummed the chorus of the song she had been singing. Musical theatre had been a passion of Rey’s ever since childhood. She loved how musicals could transport her into another world where problems could be solved through song, friendships could be built over a dance break and romances could be developed at first sight. It gave her an escape from her miserable life. Ever since her obsession began, she had listened to as many cast albums as possible, and watched as many bootlegs as possible, fully immersing herself into the world of musical theatre. For a while, her dream had been to be on stage and in a show, but whenever an audition presented itself to her, she would shy away. Rey would convince herself that a nobody like her would only be an embarrassment by auditioning, so she had decided to give up on that dream and settle for a more realistic one: to save up enough money to see a live musical one day.

Just as Rey shoved the last bite of her meal into her mouth, her cellphone rang.

“Hey, Maz! I didn’t expect to hear from you today, what a nice surprise!” she said, smiling. 

“Rey, my girl, of course I had to check in on you! You haven’t checked in with me for the last three weeks, I was beginning to worry.” 

Rey sighed, “Maz, you don’t have to look out for me anymore, you know I have a job and an apartment, I’m not the scared little girl you found dumpster diving behind your shop all those years ago.”

“And I am so proud of you for it, but that doesn’t mean I stop caring. Now, I assume you’ve already heard about the open casting call for that new show, yes? When is your audition?”

“Wait, what are you talking about? I don’t know about any new shows,” Rey’s heart picked up speed just at the thought of an audition. “Where did you hear about this?”

“You haven’t? Oh, well I make a point to check all the broadway websites a few times a week, just in case you hadn’t. And look! You could have missed this opportunity if I wasn’t so diligent.” Maz chuckled to herself, clearly pleased. 

Rey put Maz on speakerphone while she tied her wavy brown hair into her unique three bun style, “Are you telling me this audition is for an actual broadway production? You know I’ve never even been in an amateur show, what makes you think I’d have any shot at a show of this scale?”

“Rey. Stop selling yourself short. I’ve heard you sing, you could be touring across America if you’d only give yourself a chance. You’re auditioning, and that’s final. I’m done watching you waste your talents at a hole in the wall place like Sneaky Bandit’s. Either you sign yourself up for a time, or I will, it’s up to you.” Maz could be very direct when she wanted to, but Rey was thankful for the push. 

“No, no, I’ll do it. Can you send me the link? If I am actually gonna go through with this then I’ll need to brush up on my audition pieces and find those old head shots of mine, I know there here somewhere,”

“I just emailed you the audition information, but you should get on this as soon as possible, the auditions begin in a few days. I’ll let you go prepare, but you know you can call me about anything, alright girl? You know I’m here for you.”

Rey’s heart warmed at Maz’s kindness, she still wasn’t used to having anyone look out for her, but she was getting better at trusting Maz and learning to accept her love. “Thanks Maz, I won’t forget it. I’ll keep you updated on this whole audition situation,” she said. “You don’t happen to remember the name of this new musical, do you? I suppose I should figure out what kind of show I’m trying to get into after all.”

“Ha, you never fail to amuse me, child. I believe it’s a musical to do with greek mythology. They didn’t give too much information on the casting call, but the current working title is Hadestown.”

***

** **Open Casting Call, female age 19-25, mezzo soprano, for the part of Eurydice****

**Please prepare a 16 bar segment of a song of your choice, a 30 second monologue, and a change of clothes/shoe wear for a dance audition.**

**If interested, please contact us at:** [_soloproductions@broadway.com_](mailto:soloproductions@broadway.com)

**Please arrive half an hour prior to your audition time with your head shots, sheet music for our accompanist and resume**

Rey’s eyes scanned over the audition information for the third time. She took a breath and clicked on the link which directed her to a very professional looking website, designed with all blacks, greys and reds. The title of the show, _Hadestown,_ was written in large red letters along the top of the site, and Rey smiled, reminding herself of her once, seemingly-impossible dream. Rey found the list of time slots remaining for Eurydice auditions, and realized that the majority of the times were already taken. She anxiously searched the list until she found that there were only a handful of spots left, and they all fell on the first day of auditions... tomorrow. Shit.

Rey dragged a hand through her hair, messing up her buns and pulling strands of hair out so they hung wildly around her face. _Don’t back out now. Just sign up, what’s the worst that could happen?_ She clicked on the 10:00am slot, the first of the day. She couldn’t take any later ones because her shift at the bar started at noon. She submitted her application and began planning for the next morning. 

She found her head shots, they weren’t anything spectacular because Maz had taken them a few years back on her phone, but they were clear enough and showed Rey’s bare face and wavy hair. Rey scowled as she looked at them, wishing she had a more remarkable face. She looked through her folders of monologues and decided on her recent favourite, _Protective Shield_ , by Joseph Arnone. The final choice she was faced with for the evening was which song to sing. She sat down at her keyboard and began singing through some of her go-to songs, determined to choose the best one for her audition the next day.

**Author's Note:**

> So... yeah? I'd love to hear what y'all think and if you have any suggestions for the continuation of this story!  
> Next chapter is from Ben's POV!  
> Keep smilin' :)


End file.
